Swedish primary care physicians receive harsh criticism in a new report from the Agency for Care and Care Analysis. The report is now being criticized by Magnus Isacson, chairman of the Swedish Association for General Medicine – who says that general practitioners “work their ass off”. – It’s a silly conclusion, he says. In the Swedish Agency for Care and Care Analysis’ new report on Swedish primary care doctors, it is stated that Swedish primary care doctors see the lowest number of patients per hour worked and have the longest patient meetings. The report receives sharp criticism from Magnus Isacson, chairman of the Swedish Association for General Medicine. In a debate article on Expressen, he sarcastically expresses his criticism of the report’s conclusion. Magnus Isacson tells TV4 Nyheterna that he is frustrated by the image that Swedish doctors are unproductive. – I know that is not the truth. There is always room for self-criticism but that is a silly conclusion. That’s why I wrote the debate article, he says. Praises general practitioners Instead, he points out that Sweden needs more general practitioners who can take care of their patients in a better way. – The National Board of Health and Welfare recommends that as a general practitioner you should be responsible for 1,100 patients. Currently, it is roughly double that, he says. Magnus Isacson also gives praise to general practitioners in the country who, according to him, work very hard. – There are those who register their visits in somewhat dubious ways. But the absolute majority work hard to make it as good as possible for their patients, he says. “Calculates in a strange way” Criticism is aimed, among other things, at the way of measuring quality in care. – You should probably put a little more faith in the fact that the profession pursues issues based on medical ethics and priorities instead of not counting sticks for how many visits doctors have, says Magnus Isacson. The reactions to the debate article have been mostly good, according to Isacson. He emphasizes the importance of a nuanced debate. – In many parts of the welfare system, we see that they calculate in a strange way and that everything is measured in an ill-conceived way. In the player above: See an excerpt from the interview with Magnus Isacson.
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